“ NEW RESOLVE FOR THE NEW YEAR”
by
J.L. Gupta
A FEW
hours back, the clock ticked 12 midnight. The solemn sound bid goodbye to the
year 2014. It also rang in the year 2015.
Day one, in the New Year, has dawned. I say a silent prayer. May it be
the dawn of a new era! The harbinger of
health happiness, peace and prosperity for all! End of corruption, drought,
disease, illiteracy and uncontrolled increase in numbers. May it be the beginning of a new resolve to attain higher
standards of education and efficiency;
higher ideals and values. May we all be able to hold our head high in the
comity of nations. Our ancestors were tall. May we grow taller. It is an ardent
desire.
True
that a desire alone may end in despair. Yet, to have some desire is really
desirable. It is essential for existence. It is a pre-requisite for progress.
One cannot chop off the feet to overcome the desire for shoes. No desire and no
motto would only lead to no action. It would bring about stagnation. It is
human to wish for more. Every wish is like a prayer before the Lord. Wish and
hope are the primary, if not the only means of sustenance for the poor. The
desire to get something is the first step towards doing. Only he, who wants,
wishes and works, wins.
We are
more than a billion people. What is it that a billion pair of hands cannot accomplish
or achieve? We are the second largest nation in the world. We are heirs to a rich heritage. We are even
rich in natural resources. Still, we are one of the poorest nations of the
world. The majority of our people cannot read and write. A large number do not
get even potable water. The facilities for health care are not adequate.
Despite that, we are under debt.
In our
lifetime, we have witnessed the rise of Japan. The nation faced the great
earthquake in the year 1923. It is the only nation in the world that has really
faced an atomic holocaust. After the war, it presented a picture of charred
rubble and starving masses. Infested with lice. Most recent is THE FUKUSHIMA
DAIICHI NUCLEAR DISASTER that occurred when the Plant was hit by a TSUNAMI
triggered by the 9.0 MAGNITUDE TOHOKU EARTHQUAKE. Yet, it has made a spectacular
come back. Less than 3 per cent of the world's population living on 0.1 per
cent of its inhabitable area is producing more than 10 per cent of its economic
value. A report published some time back indicated that with the only natural
resource of approximately 124 million people, Japan has achieved a gross
national product of more than $ 28,200 per capita per annum. How? The people of
Japan are the nation's best asset. They are the most valuable natural resource.
They have progressed.
Let us
look at ourselves. We have more than ten times the population of Japan. Ten
times its inhabitable area. Yet, our annual, per capita GNP is embarrassingly
lower. While Japan is one of-the largest creditors in the world, we are one of
the biggest borrowers. In 1950, we were 15th among the exporting countries.
Today, we have probably gone below the 40th. What a fall, my countrymen!
It
would be futile to pretend that we are not aware of the reason. We know that we
do not work. We have not developed a work culture. We have forgotten our old
values. We have virtually no sense of national pride. No patriotism. As
individuals, we can compete with the best in the world. Man to man, we can hold
our own against anyone. From any county in the world. But as a people, we are
seldom united. No wonder, we are hardly respected and not at all trusted.
Is it
not time to adopt some corrective measures? Should we not resolve to get out
of this degrading ditch? Can we continue to live with our present image of a
poor, corrupt and nonperforming people? Does it not hurt our sense of
self-esteem?
Day one
is the day. Today is the time. To resolve to work to restore the lost glory.
There is nothing that a determined people, more than a billion of them, cannot
achieve and accomplish!
Dear Uncle, in this year, I hope and pray that your dreams for our country come true and we all are able to see the India we want. We cannot just look to the Government to make changes, but each one of the billion plus have to make the effort. If we are determined, sky is the limit to what we can do.
ReplyDeleteWithin YOUR sphere of understanding, lay the answer. As a lawyer you have a base of standards and security to work from. The pond from where the ripples grow if I may draw a compassionate parallel. With enough heavy feet crossing a bridge the syncronized march may awaken the bridge to the passing. It has two choice, reinforce ignorance to hide it's weakness of construct a stronger better bridge of awareness.
ReplyDeleteMay your goals be atainable. Here apathy is yet to be recognized as a disease.
Jerry Desbrow (USA)
Front Porch Muse
Hard working and nationalist Japan is a great inspiration to all-that is why Modi has chosen it to befriend. Since Modi has become a symbol of hard work, dedication, earnestness and risen as world leader also, we can hope that our people will also follow him.This new dawn will go a long way to bring Indian nationalism also to the fore and we shall be proud of the same!
ReplyDeleteVery well written piece. The biggest problem is the lack of national interest. Most of our problems will get solved if we imbibe national spirit.
ReplyDeleteTo those who are behind in making the New Year resolutions and to those who would like to add, a list of patriotic pledges is repeated below. I had suggested it last year on this forum.
ReplyDelete• I will abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National them;
• I will cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom;
• I will uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India;
• I will defend my country from any external aggression;
• I will promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of different faiths and culture and abjure violence against the minority groups;
• I will be respectful to the dignity of women and protect children from abuses;
• I will protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, to have compassion for living creatures;
• I will develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform;
• I will reject bribery and raise voice against corruption, corrupt officials and politicians;
• I will reject any politician and the political party that promotes breakup of our nation's cohesiveness by advancing concepts such as establishing Hindu Bharat, Khalistan, Islamic Khilafat, etc.;
• I will strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement.
• I pledge to continue striving this year where I failed last year.
The good thing is that there are still 354 days remaining to implement and to follow the progress of “2015” promises.
Best wishes for 2015 to all. Salam and Jai Hind
One cannot pray by just chanting or singing songs . The prayer that arise from the heart that is the prayer, the prayer one does for the whole world , for the society , for his country, that is the prayer that God hears.
ReplyDeleteAbundance and prosperity are desirable and just for all men . Good goals give good results. We all should set out to Create ! Build and Serve !
We should resolve to give the best where ever we are working . Then all the doors will open up for our growth , expansion and riches.
Writer is doing a form of missionary work by stimulating the higher thoughts . And inspiring One and all to persevere with patience because NO GAIN WITHOUT PAIN .
I was recently reading an article about "The Problem with Consensus in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change"... as published in "Philosophy and Public Policy Quarterly". The author, Jesse Vogel" was arguing that international climate action advocates can't dismiss procedural problems in the UNFCCC. Long lead-in to my point, but it seems that individuals, organizations, and countries all have a difficult time to produce results (action) unless there is some easy to describe, common, outside threat.
ReplyDeleteIt's clear that both Japan and Germany revived (with the help of the international community) after the missteps of history.... and mostly due to real or imagined external "balance of power" threats in Asia and Europe.
The Horatio Alger myth lives on despite the lack of evidence at the individual or organizational level... is positive action a cloud thing, does it require kick-start funding ;-)
It's only within the last few 100 years that finance has become the yard (or meter) stick... and my guess is that countries with a long and beautiful tradition have trouble to make the transition in a vacuum (i.e. without external stimulation). One could complain about the change to a market economy or try to rush into it's open arms... and for the most part the related countries have become known as "developing countries", completely overlooking the contribution of many.
One size does not fit all... isn't that wonderful...